Valley News Dispatch category, Page 539
Pandemic has pre-orders for take-out Thanksgiving meals way up at Aspinwall restaurant
An Aspinwall eatery is offering free home delivery of downsized Thanksgiving turkey meals this year, in response to recent covid-19 restrictions. Cornerstone Restaurant owner Erin Connolly said her regular Tuesday meal deliveries have been “through the roof,” with more people opting to remain at home this holiday season. She made...
Women of Alle Kiski Engaging distribute items collected for HOPE, HAVIN domestic violence shelters
Inside the box was a sauce pan. “That one pot could be used to make dinner tonight for a woman and her children who have just fled an unsafe home,” said Laurie Johns, assistant executive director of Helping All Victims in Need (HAVIN), a domestic violence shelter in Kittanning. Johns...
State appeals court orders challenged ballots in Brewster-Ziccarelli Senate race to not be counted; race tied
The Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court on Thursday evening ordered that 2,349 undated mail-in ballots in Allegheny County not be counted as part of an appeal by the Republican challenger for the 45th Senatorial District seat. But the order — and the one the court issued to stay the vote count Wednesday...
Some Alle-Kiski residents decking the halls earlier to spread holiday cheer amid pandemicVideo
For some in the Alle-Kiski Valley, decorating for Christmas before the Thanksgiving holiday has been the perfect pandemic pick-me-up. Here’s a look at some of the early-bird decorators. Harrison Matt Bedick of Harrison has one festive front yard. Bedick, an emergency room nurse at Forbes Hospital in Monroeville, is a...
Tarentum second-hand store owner worries reopening may be short-lived
Even as Lorie Angely prepares to reopen her Tarentum store, she fears she may have to shut it down again, possibly for good. Angely has run Secondhand Treasures on the borough’s West Seventh Avenue for about 20 years. It’s been closed since the pandemic-related shutdown in March. She’s reopening Saturday,...
Tarentum Night Market organizers to go forward with Thursday event despite covid advisory
Organizers of Tarentum’s new Night Market plan to proceed with the monthly event Thursday evening, despite Allegheny County health officials advising residents to stay home except for essential activities because of the surging covid-19 pandemic. Started in September, the idea behind the market is for borough businesses to remain open...
Fox Chapel Area switching to virtual learning Nov. 23-Dec. 4
Fox Chapel Area students will switch to a remote learning model from Nov. 23 to Dec. 4 because of surging covid-19 cases in Allegheny County. Superintendent Mary Catherine Reljac called it a difficult but necessary decision. “We want our children to remain in school, and the layered mitigation strategies in...
The Stroller, Nov. 19, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Is your church or organization going to host a community holiday event? Send information to The Stroller as soon as possible to vndnews@tribweb.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Volunteers needed to prepare income tax returns Allegheny Valley Association of Churches and United Way of Southwest Pennsylvania are looking for...
Plum High School closed until Dec. 1 as 3 more students test positive for covid-19
Plum High School will be closed and students will learn online until the start of December after three more students tested positive for covid-19. All sports and activities at the school are also canceled through Tuesday, Dec. 1, according to a letter to district families Wednesday. The district spoke with...
Guided by faith, Lower Burrell couple opens home to 4th adopted child
Lacie and Eric Hooks became emotional when their foster son’s first-grade teacher at Bon Air Elementary mentioned something peculiar about Jayden. “His teacher told us he wouldn’t write his last name,” Eric Hooks said. “He was writing our last name.” The shy little boy with the contagious smile can now...
Leechburg Area goes to all remote learning for next two weeks in response to covid-19 surge
Leechburg Area School District will reinstate fully remote learning over the next two weeks in response to rising covid-19 cases, Superintendent Tiffany Nix said Wednesday in an email to district parents. Students have been attending school in person every day except Wednesdays, when they attend virtually. Leechburg Area students live...
Westmoreland County Community College and IUP ink dual admissions deal
Students at Westmoreland County Community College who plan to complete a four-year degree after finishing work on an associate degree can tap a new dual admissions program with Indiana University of Pennsylvania. An agreement the two institutions inked Wednesday outlines terms of the new program, designed to streamline the transfer...
New Kensington-Arnold awards $1.9M in contracts for roof work at 3 schools
New Kensington-Arnold School Board awarded contracts totaling just over $1.9 million to replace roofs at three of the district’s four schools. The board voted 7-0 on Tuesday to accept a $1.4 million bid from David M. Maines Associates for the work at H.D. Berkey and Martin elementary schools and at...
Commonwealth Court to Allegheny County: Don’t count — for now — disputed ballots in tight Brewster-Ziccarelli Senate race
An Allegheny County judge on Wednesday denied two petitions by Republican state Senate candidate Nicole Ziccarelli to throw out provisional and faulty mail-in ballots in her challenge against Democratic incumbent Sen. Jim Brewster, D-McKeesport. But the state Commonwealth Court on Wednesday night later ordered Allegheny County’s Board of Elections to...
Highlands sees increase in property tax revenue despite pandemic
Highlands School District has collected about $1.1 million more in property taxes over the first four months of the fiscal year compared to the same period a year ago, despite projections that Pennsylvania districts would see such collections plummet because of the covid-19 pandemic. Highlands Business Manager Lori Byron said...
‘Christmas in Guyasuta’ offers sleigh rides, visits with masked Santa
With its wooded trails and countless twinkling lights, Camp Guyasuta is welcoming guests to kick off the holiday season in the ultimate winter wonderland setting. The second annual “Christmas in Guyasuta” event will be Nov. 28 at the O’Hara campus, accessed off 23rd Street in Sharpsburg. The family event is...
The Stroller, Nov. 18, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Is your church or organization going to host a community holiday event? Send information to The Stroller as soon as possible to vndnews@tribweb.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. St. Margaret Foundation to present gift bags to holiday patients St. Margaret Foundation is raising money to deliver gift bags to...
Hospital foundation to gift turkey-shaped candle holders to patients in UPMC St. Margaret on Thanksgiving
Orange organza bags with turkey-shaped candle holders will be delivered to each patient at UPMC St. Margaret on Thanksgiving, in an effort to comfort people spending the holiday away from family. The effort is spearheaded by St. Margaret Foundation, with President Mary Lee Gannon saying “We want our patients to...
Leechburg schools report first student covid-19 case
A Leechburg Area School District student in grades 7-12 has tested positive for covid-19, Leechburg Superintendent Tiffany Nix said Monday in an email to district parents. It is the district’s first positive case. The district did not identify the infected or say what grade he or she is in. “Leechburg...
Shoppers stock up on supplies as covid-19 cases climb againVideo
When the coronavirus pandemic hit the area in the spring, there was a mad dash to grocery stores to stockpile on essential supplies — and as cases spike, it may be happening again. In the early days of the pandemic, baking supplies, paper products and cleaning staples were in short...
Deer Lakes to return to hybrid learning amid coronavirus surgeVideo
The Deer Lakes School Board on Tuesday unanimously voted to give Superintendent Janell Logue-Belden the authority to modify the district’s learning model based on current coronavirus-related recommendations and data for the remainder of the school year. Previously, the school board made the decision as to what learning model the district...
Burrell School District to move to virtual learning after Thanksgiving, Christmas as coronavirus cases rise
Burrell School District will move to fully virtual learning for two weeks after Thanksgiving, and again for two weeks after Christmas, the school board decided Tuesday. The move comes as coronavirus cases in the community continue to climb, including four cases within the district in the last two weeks. The...
Kiski Area now allowing 4 days of in-person learning
Schools across the region are shutting their doors, but Kiski Area School District is increasing face-to-face instruction time. The district began offering a hybrid option this week that allows for four days of in-person instruction with one day of remote learning. This option is available in addition to the district’s...
Allegheny County judge to weigh mail-in ballot issue in Nicole Zicarelli challenge
An Allegheny County judge said that he’ll make a decision on Wednesday whether to count undated mail-in ballots that could impact the race for the 45th state Senate District race between incumbent Democratic Sen. Jim Brewster and Republican challenger Nicole Ziccarelli. Ziccarelli filed a petition against the county Election Board...
Freeport Area School District announces remote instruction after covid-19 spike
Freeport Area School District has moved middle and high school students to online-only learning this week after a spike in covid-19 cases, both in the district and Armstrong County. Freeport Area said it has 116 students in quarantine, including 103 from the middle school and high school, according to information...
